FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Toni Aguilar Rosenthal, aguilarrosenthal@therevolvingdoorproject.org
In response to the pending confirmation hearings of five people nominated to the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Senior Researcher Toni Aguilar Rosenthal released the following statement:
“As the largest public power company in the United States, the Tennessee Valley Authority should fight for the interests of the millions of people it serves, rather than extorting them for profit. Donald Trump’s latest nominations make it clear that he sees ratepayers across TVA service states as merely another source of profit. As concerns about privatization continue to plague the TVA, a move which would raise ratepayer costs, degrade delivered services, and shrink jobs across the region, everyday it becomes more clear that impacted communities deserve better,” said Aguilar Rosenthal.
“These concerns are only exacerbated by the staggering lack of experience many of Trump’s nominees have, while some are more notable for their scandals. Either way, the public ought to be fearful of many of these candidates’ records and their ability to provide competent management of the TVA’s basic operations.”
“These battles are only intensifying as Trump’s toadies in the AI industry seek to fulfill their data centers’ ever-increasing energy demands, putting further pressure on ratepayers across the country. Already, the TVA has allowed corporations like Elon Musk’s xAI to poison communities in its member states. Data centers across the country have reportedly already driven up the cost of electricity by as much as 267 percent; under the leadership of Trump’s unqualified nominees TVA ratepayers may face similarly catastrophic rate increases.”
“Given this threat, the Revolving Door Project encourages all interested parties to avail themselves of our new resource tracking TVA nominees and their resumes.”
Our nominee tracker can be viewed here and will be updated to reflect changes made by the Trump administration.
###